NEW YORK CITY-Carl F. Schwartz andLaurie Grasso — two of the most prominent andrecognizable Manhattan commercial real estate attorneys fromHerrick, Feinstein LLP —have left the firm forHunton & Williams, the firm has unveiled. Intheir new roles, Schwartz will serve as chair of the firm’s NewYork real estate group, focusing on development, private equity,opportunity funds and structured finance, and Grasso will serve aspartner.

In an interview with GlobeSt.com, Grasso – who previouslyrepresented clients on transactions at 70 Pine St., 100 Wall St.and Teacher’s Village in Newark – says that the team will worktogether to greater expand the company’s presence in Manhattan.“Hunton & Williams has a great reputation in commercial realestate throughout the country, so we want to do that in New York,”she says. “We want to establish the platform so they can become oneof the go-to real estate firms here.”

After opening 13 new offices over a 10-year period, Hunton &Williams is in growth mode. The firm has 800 attorneys across thecountry, and more than 70 attorneys at their Midtown offices at 200Park Ave, a company spokeswoman says. And while unavailable forimmediate comment, Schwartz says in a statement that the team is“excited to provide clients with a national platform and widelyrecognized equity fund, REIT and finance practices.”